Month: June 2016

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors.

/ Leland Olson Hoel / Leave a comment

fence.jpg

 

DAILY PROMPT
Fence
Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors.

Good neighbors respect one another’s property. Good farmers, for example, maintain their fences in order to keep their livestock from wandering onto neighboring farms. This proverb appears in the poem “Mending Wall,” by Robert Frost.

In the state of South Dakota. There are specific laws regarding fences between two neighbors. The way the law reads. If you are standing at the location where the fence should be placed and you are facing your neighbor’s property. You are responsible for erecting and maintaining the half of the fence that is to your right. If your neighbor is standing on his property facing you. His responsibility is for erecting and maintaining the fence to his right.

If either one of you fail to maintain your fence in order to keep livestock, from getting out and walking on the neighbor’s property to eat his crops. You are liable for the damage that they cause. If you ask a neighbor to fix fence that you’re not responsible for and he refuses. You must contact your neighbor in writing and and ask him to repair his fence. If he refuses to repair the fence and just ignores you. You can repair the fence yourself and recover your expenses in court. If he fails to appear in court or pay the costs. You can have a lien placed on his property. That lien will have priority over all other liens except tax liens.

You would think the law is quite clear about maintaining good fences. If all else fails, a huge fist from a strong right hand might work. It should get your neighbor’s attention, but that’s still may not prompt him to repair the fence he is responsible for.

I will end this fence story with fiction. It could be fact in our modern day of absentee landlords very few know thy neighbor anymore. A livestock man and a grain farmer were neighbors. The livestock man kept his cattle on his side of the fence, while the neighbors crops were young and green so his cattle could not bloat and die. For some odd reason in the fall after the corn was getting dry his cattle mysteriously started getting into the neighbors fields again. This made the grain farmer very suspicious. The following year after the corn started to dry he placed a camera out on a corner post aimed at his neighbors fence. It recorded all the activities around that fence.

The camera yielded perfect pictures of his neighbor’s pickup driving up and slowly going along the fence as if he was checking and fixing it. He was doing neither one, he was loosening up the wires and letting them hang to the ground in several places.The farmer owning the corn couldn’t believe his eyes. He drove over to his neighbors house to show him the camera and explain to him that he had proof of the guy letting down the wires near the cornfield.

He said, “the proper thing for me to do right now is to beat the hell out of you.” I will not do that because you will just have me arrested for assault and battery. Good fences and good neighbors mean absolutely nothing to you, nor does a decent reputation. All the old neighbors around here have stuck together for three generations. They might seem cold toward you now. I will ask the sheriff if he can come up with a crop loss estimate. You could offer to pay restitution and salvage some of your reputation.

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Partners

/ Leland Olson Hoel / 6 Comments

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PHOTO CHALLENGE
Partners
Whether two of a kind or ten, give us subjects that are in sync with one another — show us partnerships.

I can show you one of the greatest partnerships ever conceived. I must say that Jack and Angie Edgerton were outstanding partners. I was very blessed to be able to meet them and spend some time with them. They were the most loving people I have ever had the privilege to know. Everyplace they went a feeling of good cheer and well-being was left behind them.

John Thomas Edgerton was born in Good Earth County Mankato, Minnesota on November 10, 1904. At the age of two years, his parents moved to Canada settling on a farm near Hanley, Saskatchewan. He received his education at Box Elder and Farmington School. He worked on farms in the area then decided in 1927 to go west, he came to Alberta, when harvesting was done at Rocky Mount House. Jack spent the first winter at a logging camp, the next spring, he returned to Saskatchewan, but the Prairie didn’t appeal to him after his abundance of trees and the lush green of the Alberta country.

He came back to Rocky Mount House in 1929 and bought the dray line. Jack had four matched blacks which was hard to beat. He later bought an old truck the Lightning Express. As time passed, Jack had a fleet of trucks and hired men, he was in the cartage business until his retirement in 1975. Always interested in the affairs of the community Jack served 20 years on the town Council, ten of them as mayor. He was appointed justice of the peace and served ten years in that capacity. He was involved in many other civic and church activities. Jack passed on in 2005 at the age of 101 years.

On August 14, 1938, Jack was united in marriage to Angeline Karlson at Memorial Presbyterian Church, by the Rev. J. D. Black. Angeline was a granddaughter of Eston Hoel Olson and Marie. Angie received her education at the Oras country school, Confluent School of Rocky Mount House and Business College in Red Deer. She started her career as a telephone operator, then worked in a store before her marriage. Then in later years as City Office assistant Secretary. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church. Rocky Mount House Union, Historical Society. She gave freely of her time as librarian of the chapters Memorial Public Library for many years.

Jack and Angie liked to dance but they loved to square dance. Being Canadians they took special pride in being some of the square dancers taking part in the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Winter Games at Calgary, Alberta, in 1988. They square danced all over the United States and Canada. Dance and stay young, for sure!

EDGERTON, Mildred Angeline
Charlotte Angie
October 8, 1907 July 6, 2011
Mrs. Angie Edgerton, long time resident of
Rocky Mountain House, passed away
peacefully on July 6, 2011 at the age of 103.
she was born in Ryder, North Dakota on
October 8, 1907. Angie married Jack
Edgerton on August 14, 1938 and they were
blessed with one son Barrie. She worked as a
telephone operator for the first AGT office in
Rocky and for Vital Statistics Alberta issuing
marriage licenses. She was also a long
standing member of the IODE which she took
great pride in.
Angie had many interests, including square
dancing, gardening, traveling, reading and
bird watching.
Angie is survived by her grandsons John of
Stony Plain and Ryan (Christine) of Calgary,
one great-grandson Alexander; and her
daughter-in-law Fay of Rocky Mountain
House. She was predeceased by her husband
Jack in 2005 and her son Barrie 2010 and
Barries first wife Anna Bella.

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Aimless Life

/ Leland Olson Hoel / Leave a comment

AIMLESS.jpg

 

DAILY PROMPT
Aimless
Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt.

Some feel their life is aimless. It seems impossible for anyone to live a truly aimless life. They might feel sorry for them self and think their life is aimless. If they find some gratification or comfort in that, their life really isn’t aimless after all. They found satisfaction in leading an aimless life because it made them feel like the underdog. The one picked on and always getting the smallest piece of the pie. Life has so many good things going on that you can access, it would be much better for you to aim at them.

To have an aimless life you would have to live a life without purpose or direction. Every life has some direction built right into it. From the time your born, your life is not aimless, your here to die, that is your goal. Every life should have some type of purpose besides that. Your purpose should be a little more than a station for processing and eliminating food. Life is truly a banquet but it is also much more, it is a festival of feelings, hopes, goals, loves and sharing.

You no doubt have had someone else to share part of your life with, either parents or siblings. They will all be trying in some way to show you purpose in life, they will have many ways of succeeding in doing that. So as much is you may want to have an aimless life, you will have trouble doing it. There will always be others around you helping, encouraging, cheering you on to a purposeful life. It looks like a lot of hard work, a real daunting task to live an aimless life, it will be much easier to follow the masses down the other road.

You may have to go off by yourself, to a little corner of the earth and keep saying to yourself, “I have an ungratiffied, haphazard, aimless life with no purpose.” I’m just going to wander around aimlessly and be unhappy with the fact that I walk alone and live an aimless life. I will be so aimless I will not even find anything within myself that I can define as gratifying.

I will have to be very careful about what I think. If I have one pleasant thought, or memory that brings any gratification to my aimless soul, that would spoil the whole process of my aimless life, I wouldn’t be aimless after all. Shame on me, as much as I wanted an aimless life, I spoiled it all with a memory.

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Awe

/ Leland Olson Hoel / Leave a comment

iraq.jpg

 

DAILY PROMPT
Awe
Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt.

Shock and Awe

Awe is very powerful tool, when you combine it with shock you have a double whammy. Just the sound of the words shock and awe used together should be enough to send any enemy running for cover, to hide deep underground.

If you plan on using shock and awe as the preparation for going into battle, you better do a lot of homework first. Have a long list of pros and cons that you can study along with a group of your smartest war advisers. Include even the ones who have different opinions, don’t make them retire. Without extensive, intelligent planning, for an invasion, you better find all of the four leaf clover’s you can get your hands on. Going to war is very serious for those who fight and die. Politicians don’t do the down and dirty part, just the planning. That makes you think that they don’t fully appreciate the meaning of invading a country and going to war in a far-off land.

The invasion of Iraq, according to the war planners was going to be a shock and awe” invasion. Some advisors concluded invading would be a slamdunk. Some had the idea it would be similar to a cakewalk, the streets would be crowded with people on both sides greeting our troops as liberators. Liberating them from their dictator Saddam Hussein who was supposed to be in possession of weapons of mass destruction. That information, along with the cakewalk, slamdunk scenario was all the green light Congress needed to decide the yes vote on invading the country of Iraq. The daily questioning of their patriotism may have had some influuence!

At that time, the press was always very careful to point out to anyone who spoke out against the Iraq Invasion. Their patriotism would come into question immediately, since they were not true patriots. It turned out there was no such thing as a slam-dunk or a cakewalk, a few lined the streets at first. Saddam Hussein was found hiding in a hole in the ground, but getting him didn’t solve anything. They reversed shock and awe on us by laying low until we declared MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Then all hell broke loose in Iraq on many fronts while we played patty cake with Afghan War Lords. They got suitcases full of cash for their allegiance.

The region is mostly controlled by terrorist groups of all kinds now. Awe is the order of the day for running refugees. “The Pottery Barn Rule.” “You are going to be the proud owner of 25 million people,’ he told the president. ‘You will own all their hopes, aspirations, and problems. You’ll own it all.’ Privately, Powell and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage called this the Pottery Barn rule: You break it, you own it.

In the Bible. Saul was chosen to be King, a true politician, he refused to go up against the giant Goliath. The young shepherd boy named David, with only a slingshot walked right up to the giant Goliath. In the back of his mind, I bet he was thinking, “I wonder how fast these sandals can get me out of this situation.”

He took a smooth stone out of his shepherd’s pouch and placed it into his sling. He sent that stone flying directly into the forehead of Goliath, who fell face forward hitting the ground dead. You have to think young David was counting mostly on his faith, but he was also counting on a very lucky shot with his sling. Goliath had been coming out every day for 40 days mocking and challenging the Israelites to fight. Can you imagine the awe on the faces of the Israelite army as Goliath’s body came crashing to the ground? David the sheep herding boy both shocked and awed the Philistine army too.

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Road killed

/ Leland Olson Hoel / 4 Comments

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https://rogershipp.wordpress.com/2016/06/23/flash-fiction-for-the-purposeful-practitioner-week-26-2016/

The opening sentence for the June 23rd Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner: “It was really dark last night, but I’m pretty sure this is the place.” Please use this sentence (or this thought) somewhere in your flash.

FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER: WEEK #26 – 2016
Posted on June 23, 2016

Road Killed

Sam wakes up to “an inexplicable headache.” It is still dark, He shouts, “hello” into the phone. Sam your my best friend, you have to come with me to verify my alibi. I hit a deer last night at the Bridge, I will pick you up in 10 minutes.

It was really dark last night but I’m sure this is the place. You look sick Sam, “what time did you get home?”  That deer had red eyes instead of green, spooked me! We have to find that animal for my alibi!

Later at the police station, “You were involved in a hit-and-run death.” “The blood on your car’s front bumper matches the blood type of the deceased.” Deceased? “I did not hit anybody.” The officer replies, “there is a witness who saw your vehicle at the scene at the time of the hit-and-run accident, you were driving.”

Somebody took my car from the lounge, I have to find that person. “Sam can you help me?” What do you mean, “you can’t?” My God,  best friend. “You could kill somebody and  let me go to jail.?” “Are you their eye witness too?”

Sam’s  eyes were blazing  red!

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Natural Resourses

/ Leland Olson Hoel / Leave a comment

natural.jpg

 

DAILY PROMPT
Natural
Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt

We are living in a time when you have to search long and hard for a natural product. There are very few natural products on the market, most food that is sold is full of additives. Increased vitamins to make you healthier, according to the advertising on the package. Additives to preserve freshness and prolong the shelf life of the product. As more and more additives are going into products daily. It is impossible for the average person to begin to comprehend all of the different things being placed into their food.

The FDA Food and Drug Administration in Washington was created for this purpose. They supposedly have a control system over the different additives that are going into food items. They are all supposed to be cleared through the FDA. Most stores will have a area in the store where they sell what they call natural or organic fruits, vegetables, meat, and so on. You have to pay a very high premium price if you elect to feed your family organic foods. Their claim is to be natural. Is there a watch dog? I don’t think so.

Planet Earth as it gets older is actually having more natural disasters. We are having more earthquakes of higher magnitudes all over the globe. Some of these earthquakes have been traced to a new mining technology to get natural gas out of the earth. It is called fracking, water and chemicals are pumped deep into the Earth’s causing huge pressures which fracture the earth deep inside. That releases the natural gas. I don’t believe anyone has ever found out what those chemicals are and what the effect they have on natural drinking water. Fracturing is a lower cost way to release this natural gas so that it can be pumped out and used all over the globe.

“Though the composition of most fracking chemicals remains protected from disclosure through various “trade secret” exemptions under state or federal law, scientists analyzing fracked fluid have identified volatile organic  compounds  (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene – all of which pose significant”

Natural disasters in the form of tornadoes, severe hail, thunderstorms with high winds damaging property are almost a daily events on some part of the globe. The climate continues to change as is evident in the polar ice melts, sea water temperatures changing. Weather patterns have become unpredictable. Governments worldwide drag their feet on finding a solution that might help cut back on natural disasters.

Natural air is fresh air, it was taken for granted for hundreds of years now, there are metropolitan areas contaminated with so much pollution people have canned air or have oxygen stations were they can stop and breathe some fresh air and then continue on about their daily business. The air pollution continues to get worse and circles the globe 24/7 while continually dropping particles of pollution around the whole world.

Naturally speaking. One of the few original natural things left on this earth might be natural childbirth. It brings joy into the lives of millions of people. Naturally speaking is a speech recognition software program. It was conceived to bring  joy into millions of lives also. It turns your natural talk into text and can make any computer work faster by using your voice commands.

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Rocks ‘raisin cookies’

/ Leland Olson Hoel / Leave a comment

raisin cookies.jpg

Easy scratch recipes week 21

ROCKS

3/4 c. shortening                            3 c. flour

1 c. sugar                                          1 tsp. soda.

1 c. raisins cooked in

1 cup of water*                                1 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs, beaten                                 Walnuts to suit taste.

*Leave some juice on the raisins. (2-3 Tbls.). Cool.

Drop onto greased tins and bake at 350°

A Pirates Parrot

/ Leland Olson Hoel / Leave a comment

Blue

 

https://pixabay.com/en/parrot-bird-fly-animal-wildlife-316217/

“You never do anything halfway….”

A Pirates Parrot

I just love to hear the stories about my ancestors, the word around the Oasis Sanctuary is all about my great uncle Paul the pirates parrot. He loved the sea but loved sharpening his power full bill more. He always knew that huge bill would get him in trouble.

It was recently learned they were at sea for so many months Great Uncle Paul, the Blue-cheeked Amazon chewed up most of the ships rigging. Then he gnawed the Pirate’s wooden leg in half. He was far too old and tough for the ships chef to cook at age 71.

The ornery, one eyed, toothless old pirate got so mad he made Uncle Paul walk the plank, while saying “You never do anything halfway.” This time your going to Davy Jones’s Locker, all the way to the bottom with that little anchor tied around your neck!

As feisty old Paul stepped off the plank. He loosed the anchor from round his neck.  Flying off toward the nearest land. His huge bill was overflowing with the most colorful words in his vocabulary, all directed at his old shipmate Pete who was muttering the same words.

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